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Embarking on a career in community services is about embracing a role that transcends conventional job expectations. It's a profession driven by a deep-rooted passion for positively impacting lives and communities. But what are the qualities that make someone ideally suited for such a career? This article will uncover the eight key traits that typically signify a natural inclination for a successful and fulfilling career in community services. From innate empathy to creative problem-solving, these traits are the cornerstones of individuals who thrive in this compassionate and dynamic field.
1. You Like To Help Others
Firstly and most obviously you want to make a difference in the world. You want to go home each day with that warm empowering feeling of knowing that you have helped make a difference in someone’s life. You may have thought about helping people and how rewarding it would be or you already help out your friends and family when they need advice. You’re passionate about wanting to improve and enhance the lives of those around you and you know that while you may not be able to invent something that’s going to end global warming and change the world you can still do your part to empower and guide those around you.
2. You’re Creative
Although it may not seem like being creative has much to do with helping others and working in community services-based career it is a great characteristic to have. If you have the ability to find resources and to potentially think outside the box you can open up a whole new way to help people. For example, you could use art, music, or a trip to the park to inspire your clients and make them feel more comfortable and able to open up to you.
3. You Have Empathy
If you can not empathise with people how can you help them? Having a caring and compassionate attitude when working with people who are experiencing heightened emotions due to particular stress factors, such as finances, relationships or addictions is very important. You need a sense of empathy and the ability to hold an insightful and meaningful conversation with these people so you can help with whatever is currently blocking them or putting them in a rut. While a sympathetic person would say ‘I hurt with you’ someone with empathy would say ‘I see that you’re hurting and I want to help you cope and move forward’.
4. You Know How To Talk To People
One of the most important skills you can have working in community services is the ability to successfully communicate with people. Often those who need help simply want someone to listen to them and someone to offer advice. Indeed understanding that most careers that focus on helping people are about human relationships and how they are developed through good communication is crucial. So making sure you are able to effectively communicate with these people and their partners, families, friends and other people from the community is important.
5. You Know How To Be Organised
Generally, people who have life experience naturally know how to be organised. After all dropping the kids off at school, going to work, collecting the mail, going to appointments, and doing other everyday general tasks on time require organisation. So why do I need to be organised if I’m helping people? Well if you’re helping multiple people, who each have different issues, needs, or wants it can become overwhelming quickly if you’re not prepared or organised especially if you miss an appointment or get that same appointment mixed up with someone else’s.
6. You’re Open Minded
It is to be expected that you will help many different people from many different cultural and socio-cultural backgrounds in any career that works with people, so being open-minded and accepting of all different types of people is important.
7. You’re A Problem Solver
One of the main goals when working with people is to empower them. To empower them you must help that person work through their challenges. Finding a solution to their challenge, then helping to implement it, and then making it successful is also important so that person can overcome whatever got them stuck in the first place. Everyone and anyone has problem-solving skills, and we use them every day. For example, your fridge is not working, do you hire a mechanic or do you go buy a new fridge? You weigh up the pros and cons and make your decision, this is problem-solving.
8. You May Have Been In Their Shoes
Often the people who most want to work with and help others are those who have, at some stage of their life, been in a similar situation or have required help. Often these people have had negative experiences firsthand or have witnessed these experiences and they don’t want it to ever happen to someone else so they want to help others.
Are You Ready to Lead?
To truly excel in community services, enhancing your leadership skills can be incredibly beneficial. Pursuing leadership courses can prepare you to take on managerial or supervisory roles within the field, helping you to more effectively organize teams, manage projects, and lead community initiatives. These courses focus on developing the skills necessary to inspire and guide others, making them indispensable for anyone looking to advance their career in community service.
Are you inspired to pursue a meaningful and impactful career in community service? If the traits described resonate with you and you're passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of others, it's time to take the next step. Embark on this rewarding journey by exploring the educational opportunities and training programs available in this field, including specialised aged care courses and child care courses. These courses are crucial for those who aim to work with the elderly, providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively support one of the most vulnerable segments of our community. Click the link below to discover a range of courses and resources that can help you turn your passion for helping others into a fulfilling career. Start your journey today in community services and be the change you wish to see in the world.
